What Does a Business Management Consultant Do?
A Business Management Consultant helps owners and decision-makers improve how their business is managed, structured and operated. The work can include management structure, roles and responsibilities, business systems, operational performance, reporting, Delegations of Authority and implementing agreed improvements.
For construction businesses, the role can also involve working through how management capacity, systems and processes need to change as the business grows or takes on larger and more complex Projects.
Which Type of Business Consultant Does Your Construction Business Need?
The terms Business Consultant, Business Management Consultant, Management Consultant and Business Advisor overlap, but the type of support required depends on the work the business needs done.
For owners who need help improving how the business is managed, structured or operated, including management responsibilities, systems, reporting and implementation.
For defined Management Consulting work focused on management structure, operational performance, business systems and implementing change.
For established small construction businesses that need Management Consulting suited to their size, management structure and stage of growth.
For owners seeking broader Business Advisory Services around significant business decisions, priorities, performance and future direction.
Or call Rachelle and Shannon direct to discuss your business and how we can help
Why Construction Businesses Engage a Business Management Consultant
Construction businesses rarely remain the same for long. New clients, larger contracts, changing market conditions and business growth continually create new commercial and operational challenges that require different ways of managing the business.
Many owners engage a Business Management Consultant because they have reached a point where experience alone is no longer providing enough visibility or certainty. Reporting has become inconsistent, project performance varies from team to team, commercial risks are increasing and important decisions are becoming harder to make with confidence.
A Business Management Consultant provides an independent assessment of how your business is operating today, where improvement is likely to deliver the greatest commercial value and what should become the priority over the coming months rather than trying to solve every issue at once. And then, if they’re like Blaze Business & Legal, they help you implement their recommendations.
Business Consulting Services Brisbane for Construction Businesses
Blaze Business & Legal provides Business Consulting Services in Brisbane for established construction, civil and infrastructure businesses.
Our Business Consultants work directly with owners and decision-makers on business strategy, growth, management structure, operational performance, systems and implementation. The scope depends on the business problem, the decisions management needs to make and what needs to change inside the business.
You may be looking for a Business Consultant, Business Management Consultant or Business Consulting Services. Those terms overlap in practice. What matters is whether the consultant has the experience to understand the problem, work out what is causing it and help management implement a commercially workable solution.
Rachelle Hare and Shannon Drew bring more than 50 years of combined experience working inside and alongside Australian Construction Businesses. Their Business Consulting work draws on management, commercial, financial and operational experience rather than applying a generic consulting model to a construction business.
Combined with Rachelle Hare’s Construction Law and Commercial Law expertise, Commercial Management and Business Advisory experience, plus Compliance, Governance and Risk Management expertise, Rachelle and Shannon’s ability to also act as Business Management Consultants is a powerful way for us to support our construction clients.
Business Management Consulting focuses on how the business is managed, operated and improved. Owners and decision-makers seeking broader advice about business decisions can also use Blaze Business & Legal’s Business Advisory Services.
What Can Our Business Consultants Help With?
Business Consulting Services can include:
- Business Strategy
- growth planning;
- management structure and responsibilities;
- owner dependency and Delegations of Authority;
- operational performance;
- business systems and processes;
- management reporting and decision-making;
- commercial and financial performance; and
- implementation of agreed business improvements.
Blaze Business & Legal provides Business Consulting in Brisbane, across the Sunshine Coast, Logan and the Gold Coast, within South-East Queensland, throughout QLD and across Australia. Contact us to see how we can help – our initial chat is free.
What Does a Business Management Consultant Do for a Construction Business
A Business Management Consultant reviews your construction business as a whole rather than focusing on one isolated problem. Commercial management, financial performance, governance, operational systems, contracts and management reporting all influence one another. Improving one area often creates benefits across several others.
The role is not simply to identify problems. A Business Management Consultant helps construction business owners understand why those issues have developed, how they affect the wider business and what practical improvements are likely to deliver the greatest return on time, effort and investment.
Business Growth Consulting Brisbane for construction businesses
Business Growth Consulting can form part of a Business Management Consulting engagement where owners are preparing to take on larger Projects, enter new markets or increase turnover.
Growth can place additional demands on management capacity, working capital, Project controls and business systems. Rachelle Hare and Shannon Drew help owners assess whether the proposed growth is commercially workable, what needs to be strengthened first and whether the business should stage its growth.
The work may consider Project pipeline, margins, management capacity, cash requirements, systems, reporting, responsibilities and the additional resources required to manage a larger construction business.
Where growth is the main reason for the engagement, Business Growth Strategist services provide the dedicated pathway for Business Growth Consulting. Business Management Consulting remains the broader service for improving how the business is managed and operated.
When Construction Businesses Commonly Engage a Business Management Consultant
Construction businesses engage a Business Management Consultant for many different reasons. Some are experiencing commercial or financial pressure, while others are preparing the business for future growth. The circumstances vary, but the objective is usually the same: gaining an experienced, independent perspective before making important business decisions.
1. Your Business Has Grown But It Still Operates The Same Way
Revenue has increased steadily, yet many of the systems supporting the business have changed very little. Decision-making still depends heavily on the owner, reporting takes too long to prepare and management processes developed for a much smaller business are now supporting larger projects and greater commercial risk.
A Business Management Consultant reviews whether your business structure, reporting, governance and management practices have kept pace with the business you operate today.
2. Your Business Is Busy but Profitability Isn’t Improving
Winning work does not always lead to stronger profits. Construction businesses often experience increasing turnover while margins continue to tighten, overheads grow and project performance becomes less predictable.
A Business Management Consultant reviews how work is priced, how projects are managed commercially and where profitability may be reducing long before it appears in the financial statements.
3. Your Business Has a Cash Flow Problem That Doesn’t Make Sense
Cash flow pressure often develops gradually. Progress claims may be delayed, variations remain unresolved, work is underpriced, forecasting becomes less reliable or working capital requirements increase as projects become larger. Looking at the bank balance alone rarely explains why cash continues to fluctuate.
A Business Management Consultant reviews the commercial and financial drivers behind cash flow to understand where improvements are likely to produce lasting results.
4. Your Business Depends Too Much on You
Many construction business owners continue approving contracts, reviewing tenders, solving commercial disputes, making pricing decisions and supporting project teams long after the business has grown beyond that model.
A Business Management Consultant helps business owners strengthen delegation, management capability, reporting and accountability so the business becomes less dependent on one individual making every significant decision.
5. Your Business Is Taking on Larger Projects with Greater Commercial Risk
Moving into larger commercial, civil, infrastructure, Defence or Government projects often changes the level of commercial risk carried by the business. Contract conditions become more demanding, reporting expectations increase and clients expect stronger governance and financial controls.
A Business Management Consultant reviews whether your business is equipped to manage those additional responsibilities before they begin affecting project performance.
6. Your Business Produces Plenty of Reports but Very Little Clarity
Many construction businesses collect significant amounts of information without producing management reports that genuinely support decision making. Different Project Managers report differently, financial information arrives too late and management meetings focus on solving yesterday’s problems instead of planning ahead.
A Business Management Consultant reviews the quality of reporting throughout the business so management decisions are based on consistent, reliable information.
7. Your Business Is Preparing for the Next Stage
Preparing for succession, acquisition, business sale, Brisbane 2032 opportunities, Tier 2 projects or Government work usually requires changes well before those opportunities arise.
A Business Management Consultant helps construction businesses prepare for future growth by strengthening commercial management, governance, reporting, financial performance and business systems before those capabilities are tested.
What Does a Business Management Consultant Look At Inside Your Construction Business
A Business Management Consultant reviews how the different parts of your business work together. Looking at one issue in isolation rarely explains why a construction business is performing the way it is. Reviewing commercial management, financial performance, governance and project delivery together creates a much clearer understanding of where improvement is likely to deliver the greatest commercial benefit.
1. Commercial Management
A Business Management Consultant reviews how your business prices work, manages contracts, administers variations, protects contractual entitlements and makes commercial decisions throughout each project. Weak commercial management often develops gradually across several projects before affecting profitability, making it difficult to recognise without stepping back and reviewing the business as a whole.
2. Financial Performance
A Business Management Consultant looks beyond monthly financial statements to understand how cash moves through your business, how projects are performing and whether reported profitability reflects what is happening on site. Reviewing WIP, forecasting, pricing, overhead recovery and management reporting together often provides a clearer picture than looking at any one report on its own.
3. Business Structure and Governance
A Business Management Consultant reviews whether your business structure still reflects the way the business operates today. Director responsibilities, delegations, authorities, shareholder arrangements and governance should support the size, complexity and commercial risk of the business rather than the business it used to be.
4. Project Delivery and Operational Performance
A Business Management Consultant reviews how projects are planned, managed and reported from tender through to completion. Consistency across Project Managers, operational systems, accountability and management processes all influence productivity, profitability and client outcomes.
5. Risk Management and Compliance
A Business Management Consultant reviews how commercial risk is identified, managed and monitored throughout the business. Construction contracts, QBCC obligations, insurance, compliance systems, procurement requirements and contractual responsibilities all contribute to the overall risk profile of the business.
6. Business Improvement and Growth Planning
A Business Management Consultant helps construction businesses decide what to improve first, establish practical priorities and implement changes that strengthen commercial performance over time. Business improvement is rarely about changing everything. It is about making the right improvements in the right order.
Why Construction Businesses Often Solve the Wrong Problem First
Construction businesses commonly engage different advisers to solve different issues. An accountant focuses on financial reporting. A lawyer advises on legal risk. An insurance broker reviews insurance. A Business Coach develops leadership capability. Each provides valuable expertise within their own discipline.
A Business Management Consultant looks across the whole business. Commercial management, financial performance, governance, project delivery and operational systems are reviewed together because decisions made in one area often create consequences somewhere else. Looking across the business as a whole frequently identifies opportunities that would never be recognised by reviewing each issue independently.
Why Construction Businesses Choose Blaze Business & Legal as Their Business Management Consultant
Construction businesses benefit from advice that reflects how projects are won, priced, contracted, delivered and managed in practice. Business Management Consulting at Blaze Business & Legal combines Construction Law, Commercial Management, Management Accounting and Business Advisory so commercial, financial and operational decisions can be considered together rather than separately.
Every Business Management Consulting engagement is delivered directly by Rachelle Hare and Shannon Drew. Clients work with experienced advisers who have spent decades working inside construction businesses as well as advising them, providing practical recommendations designed to be implemented rather than reports that remain on a shelf.
Rachelle Hare – In My Experience
One pattern has followed me throughout my career, whether I was working as a Construction Lawyer, General Counsel, Commercial Manager or Business Adviser.
Construction business owners usually know something isn’t working quite as well as it should. They can see cash flow becoming tighter, projects becoming harder to manage or more of the business relying on them personally. What they often cannot see is where those issues actually started.
It is surprisingly common for what appears to be a cash flow problem to begin with estimating, contract administration or inconsistent commercial management several months earlier. Likewise, what looks like a project problem may actually be a reporting problem, and what feels like a staffing issue may really be a lack of clear systems, accountability or management information.
The businesses that make the greatest long-term improvements are the ones that take the time to understand how the different parts of the business influence one another before deciding what needs to change.
What Happens During a Strategy Session
A Strategy Session provides an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day demands of running projects and review your business from a broader management perspective. Current challenges, future objectives, reporting, commercial risks and business priorities are discussed together before identifying the improvements most likely to strengthen commercial performance.
Every Strategy Session concludes with a written summary outlining key observations, recommended priorities and practical next steps so you leave with a clearer understanding of where your business stands and where to focus next.
Continuing Business Management Consulting Support
Some construction businesses engage a Business Management Consultant for a single review before implementing improvements internally. Others choose ongoing Business Management Consulting to support larger business improvement projects or provide experienced management advice as the business continues to grow.
Business Management Consulting may be delivered alongside Construction Business Improvement, External Commercial Manager services, Fractional CFO, External General Counsel services, Business Structuring, or Construction Project Delivery advisory services, depending on your business needs.
Working with Construction Businesses Across Brisbane, Queensland and Australia
Blaze Business & Legal provides Business Management Consulting services for construction businesses throughout Brisbane, South East Queensland and Australia. Most of our Business Management Consultant engagements are delivered remotely, however we often travel to our client’s offices, including interstate.
Our clients include Head Contractors, Subcontractors and specialist contractors and trade contractors working across commercial construction, civil infrastructure, mining, Defence and Government projects.
Meet Your Business Management Consultants
Business Management Consulting is shaped by experience. The advice you receive depends on whether your adviser has simply studied business management or has spent years working inside construction businesses, making commercial decisions, managing projects and helping owners solve complex business problems.
At Blaze Business & Legal, Rachelle Hare and Shannon Drew deliver every Business Management Consulting engagement directly. Our backgrounds are different but complementary, allowing us to consider commercial, legal, operational, financial, structural, risk, governance and compliance issues together rather than in isolation.
Rachelle Hare
Rachelle Hare has spent more than 25 years working with construction businesses as a Construction Lawyer, Commercial Manager, General Counsel and Business Adviser. She has worked inside Tier 1 Contractors, Government agencies and private construction businesses, giving her firsthand experience of the commercial decisions that influence project performance and business profitability.
Her Business Management Consulting focuses on the commercial side of running a construction business. This includes commercial management, business structure, governance, contract strategy, risk management, and helping owners make better decisions as their businesses grow larger and more complex. Rather than simply identifying issues, Rachelle works with business owners to understand why those issues have developed, how they affect the wider business and what practical improvements are likely to deliver the greatest commercial benefit.
Shannon Drew
Shannon Drew brings more than 25 years of experience in Management Accounting, Fractional CFO services and Business Advisory within the Construction Industry. His work centres on helping construction businesses understand what their financial information is really telling them and ensuring management decisions are supported by reliable reporting, not assumptions.
His Business Management Consulting focuses on financial performance, project profitability, WIP, forecasting, cash flow, cost-to-complete reporting, overhead recovery and management reporting. By understanding how projects perform financially as they progress, Shannon helps construction business owners make decisions earlier, improve visibility across the business and strengthen long-term financial performance.
Better Decisions Through a Broader Perspective
Many business advisers naturally view problems through the lens of their own profession. Lawyers focus on legal risk. Accountants focus on financial reporting. Management consultants often focus on systems and organisational structure.
Business Management Consulting at Blaze Business & Legal brings those perspectives together. Rachelle and Shannon review how commercial management, financial performance, governance, contracts, and project delivery influence one another, giving construction business owners practical advice that reflects how the business operates as a whole rather than focusing on one discipline in isolation.
FAQs About Business Management Consultants
1. When should a construction business engage a Business Management Consultant?
A construction business usually engages a Business Management Consultant when existing systems, reporting, commercial management or financial performance are no longer keeping pace with the demands of the business. Business Management Consulting may also be valuable when preparing for growth, succession, business sale, Government work, Brisbane 2032 opportunities or larger construction projects. Engaging a Business Management Consultant before problems become significant generally provides more options and allows improvements to be implemented in a planned way.
2. What does a Business Management Consultant review inside a construction business?
A Business Management Consultant reviews how commercial management, financial performance, governance, project delivery, operational systems and business structure work together. The objective is to understand how the business is operating as a whole, identify where commercial risk is developing and recommend practical improvements that strengthen long-term performance rather than focusing on one issue in isolation.
3. How is a Business Management Consultant different from a Business Coach?
A Business Management Consultant focuses on how your construction business operates. Business Management Consulting reviews commercial management, reporting, governance, financial performance, project delivery and business systems to improve the way the business functions. Business Coaching generally focuses on personal development, leadership and achieving individual or business goals. Many businesses benefit from both, but they perform different roles.
Read our article on a case study relating to a business coach.
4. What is the difference between a Business Consultant and a Business Management Consultant?
The terms Business Consultant and Business Management Consultant overlap. A Business Consultant can advise on a wide range of strategic, commercial, financial and operational business issues. A Business Management Consultant generally focuses more on how the business is managed, structured, and operated. Blaze Business & Legal works across both areas, and our scope is determined by the problem your business needs to solve. We work with you to help scope up our services within your budget where overlapping skillsets are required.
5. Do you provide Business Consulting Services in Brisbane?
Blaze Business & Legal does provide Business Consulting Services, from our South Brisbane offices or within your own business sit to established construction, civil and infrastructure businesses in Brisbane, throughout Queensland and across Australia. Rachelle Hare and Shannon Drew work directly with owners and decision-makers on strategy, growth, management, operations and business improvement, and we are unique as Business Management Consultants in that we also operate as a Law Firm and provide virtual CFO, General Counsel and Commercial Manager services.
6. How can a Business Management Consultant help improve cash flow?
A Business Management Consultant helps improve cash flow by reviewing the commercial and operational factors that influence how cash moves through the business. Business Management Consulting commonly examines pricing, project profitability, progress claims, variations, forecasting, working capital, WIP and management reporting to identify where improvements may strengthen cash flow over time.The best Business Management Consultants, like Shannon Drew, have a degree in Management Accounting and substantial experience working within businesses in the industry, so they can approach cash-flow variability with practical expertise rather than theory alone.
7. Can a Business Management Consultant work with my accountant and lawyer?
A Business Management Consultant regularly works alongside accountants, lawyers and other advisers. Business Management Consulting complements their expertise by reviewing how commercial management, financial performance, governance and business operations influence one another, allowing specialist advice from different advisers to be considered within the broader context of the business. Even better when your Business Management Consultants are Lawyers (Rachelle Hare) and Management Accountants (Shannon Drew).
8. What size construction businesses benefit most from Business Management Consulting?
Business Management Consulting is generally most valuable for construction businesses that have developed beyond the early start-up stage and require stronger commercial management, financial reporting, governance or management systems. Blaze Business & Legal primarily works with construction businesses turning over approximately $5 million to $100 million and beyond.
9. What happens after the Strategy Session?
Our Strategy Sessions are no-obligation, so you may receive enough recommendations and advice verbally from us during those sessions to allow you to get to work fixing things in your business. If you wish, we can provide you with a written summary outlining the key observations, recommended priorities and suggested next steps from the Strategy Session. Depending on our discussion, we may recommend that we hold another Strategy Session, carry out a Business Diagnostic, or quote to carry out a fixed scope of work to help you and your business. Some businesses implement our recommendations from our Strategy Sessions independently, while others ask Blaze Business & Legal to continue with its Business Management Consulting, Construction Business Improvement or other Legal Services or Business Advisory services depending on the level of support required.
10. How long does Business Management Consulting usually continue?
Business Management Consulting can range from a single strategic review through to longer-term advisory support. Every engagement is scoped around the objectives of the business, with fixed-fee projects and ongoing advisory arrangements available where appropriate.
11. Do you only provide Business Management Consulting for construction businesses?
While we often advise businesses in other industries, Blaze Business & Legal’s main focus is providing Business Management Consulting services for the construction industry in Australia. That focus allows our advice to reflect the commercial realities, contractual environment, and operational and management challenges construction businesses face, rather than relying on generic management consulting principles.
11. Do you provide Business Management Consulting outside Brisbane?
Business Management Consulting is available to businesses throughout Brisbane, Queensland and Australia. Most engagements can be delivered remotely, with face-to-face meetings available from the South Brisbane office or at client premises where appropriate. Rachelle and Shannon are also happy to fly to your business, and we often spend several days or a week consulting with you and your staff to quickly get across your challenges and provide the best help in the shortest period of time.
12. What does Business Growth Consulting Brisbane include for a construction business?
Business Growth Consulting Brisbane includes reviewing whether a construction business has the financial, commercial and operational capacity to support its proposed growth. The review may cover project pipeline and client concentration, expected margins, cash flow forecasting, working capital, work in progress, overhead recovery, management reporting, staffing, systems, governance, contract administration and commercial risk. The purpose is to identify what needs to be strengthened before the business commits to larger projects, additional overheads or a faster rate of growth.
See our Business Management Consultant to Help You Build a Stronger Business
Running a construction business becomes more demanding as projects, teams and commercial responsibilities continue to grow. Business Management Consulting provides an experienced, independent perspective on how your business is operating today, where improvements are likely to create the greatest commercial value, and what practical steps will strengthen performance into the future.
Wondering how we can help your business? Call us direct on (07) 3063 3373 for a free chat. Or book a no-obligation Strategy Session.
